Surgery negligence claims against Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust's Southwest Cleft Service

Bristol & Weston NHS Foundation Trust

Families whose children have been treated for cleft lip or cleft palate by the South West Cleft Service at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust have reported concerns relating to delays, communication and the quality of care.

These concerns follow an independent harm review which identified that 175 young people were harmed or considered at risk of harm between 2020 and 2022, during a period when timely treatment is essential for speech, feeding and long‑term development.

What did the 2023 South West Cleft Service harm review find?

The 2023 review confirmed that the South West Cleft Service was experiencing systemic problems, including:

• Reduced access to operating theatres
• Pressure on specialist cleft teams
• Long-term sickness affecting key clinicians

These issues were present before the Covid-19 pandemic and were then made significantly worse. As a result, 118 children were found to have experienced harm linked to delayed cleft procedures, with others identified as being at increased risk.

In some cases, essential procedures were pushed beyond recommended NHS developmental timeframes, such as palate repair after 13 months of age, delays known to affect speech, feeding and social development.

Although the trust apologised and contacted affected families, the findings raised broader questions about whether similar problems may still be affecting patients today.

How do I know if my child’s cleft treatment was negligent?

Medical negligence occurs when standards fell below acceptable levels, causing avoidable harm as a result. Negligent treatment isn’t always immediately obvious, and it can be difficult to know when delays or poor outcomes could have been avoided.

Some of the common signs of negligent cleft treatment include:

• Repeated or significant delays in treatment that fall outside recommended timeframes
• A lack of informed consent, including not being made aware of what procedures entail or the risks associated with a procedure
• Unclear communication or sudden changes to treatment plans involving decisions that go against expectationsTreatment has led to avoidable injury or worsening conditions

Whatever the circumstances of your child’s care, we strongly urge you to reach out to one of our leading surgical negligence solicitors. We can examine your case in detail and let you know if your child’s treatment fell below expected standards.

Speak to our experienced surgical negligence team

If your child’s cleft treatment under the South West Cleft Service involved delays, unexpected changes or decisions you didn’t fully understand, you are not alone and there may be other families in the same position.

Our experienced surgical negligence lawyers are working closely with those affected to seek the justice, support, and compensation they need to move forward and protect their child’s health.

• Our team are industry leaders and are consistently ranked highly in independent legal directories such as Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500
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